Monroe to address District 8 water

Town Board to bond $350K for 6-inch pipes

MONROE — Residents who shelled out $1,700 per household this year to support their aging water system will soon shoulder another repair cost, this time to replace 2-inch-thick water mains that date back to the neighborhood's origins as a bungalow colony decades ago.

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By CHRIS MCKENNA

recordonline.com

By CHRIS MCKENNA

Posted Jul. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 16, 2013 at 8:45 AM

By CHRIS MCKENNA

Posted Jul. 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jul 16, 2013 at 8:45 AM

» Social News

MONROE — Residents who shelled out $1,700 per household this year to support their aging water system will soon shoulder another repair cost, this time to replace 2-inch-thick water mains that date back to the neighborhood's origins as a bungalow colony decades ago.

The Town Board has agreed to bond up to $350,000 to install 6-inch pipes under parts of Orchard Drive and Hilltop Road in Monroe's Water District 8, an area of roughly 200 houses that includes a new, 34-unit subdivision known as Ridgetop Estates. Larger diameter pipes are expected to correct low-pressure problems plaguing some of the homes.

Though the additional cost is expected to be modest, the impending repairs have drawn attention to hefty charges residents already were paying — in some cases without realizing it. County tax records indicate District 8 cost each homeowner $380 in 2005 and then shot up, jumping almost $700 in a single year to $1,700 on January's property tax bills.

"We want that number to come down," said Ridgetop Estates resident Kenwen Lee Chong, who bought his home two years ago with no warning about the water charges.

Town Supervisor Sandy Leonard said Monday that recent leak repairs probably will lower costs next year, and that the conclusion of bond payments for construction of a water tower will reduce bills further in about two years.

A report by the state Comptroller's Office earlier this year revealed that the town can't account for about half the water it buys from the Village of Monroe for District 8. In a nearly 14-month period, the town pumped 18.9 million gallons and billed customers for 9.6 million gallons — a loss rate of 49 percent, well above the 10 percent industry standard.

Even setting aside an acceptable water loss of 15 percent, the town forfeited about $48,000 in revenue during the audit period, the state found.

"Town officials believe that water main breaks, leaks, malfunctioning meters, and theft may be causing a significant portion of the unaccounted-for water," auditors wrote.

The Town Board held a special meeting last week to brief District 8 customers and approve bonding. Lee Chong, one of a few dozen residents who attended, said they were told the pipe replacement will cost each household about $100 a year if bonded over 30 years.

The $1,700 in charges customers paid this year are in addition to the costs they pay for the water they use. Those bills come four times a year.